


Adventures Never Grow Tiring

by babycrowshouyou



Category: Haikyuu!!, Peter Pan (1953)
Genre: M/M, Peter Pan AU, Peter Pan!Bokuto, it's really just a lot of fluff, like three OCs i'm sorry, like tooth-rotting fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-17
Updated: 2016-07-17
Packaged: 2018-07-24 14:47:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,851
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7512346
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/babycrowshouyou/pseuds/babycrowshouyou
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He can understand a few words of her song here and there, recognizes that she's singing about fairies and pixies, mermaids and pirates, children who never grow old and adventures that never grow tiring.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Adventures Never Grow Tiring

**Author's Note:**

> Soo I've been listening to Ruth B's "Lost Boy" a lot recently, and started writing this at 1 a.m. on my phone last night, here you go!

He dreams of his grandmother's kitchen, warm and alive with the sound of her singing, the tinkling of her soft laughter cutting in as he tries to sing along, his three-year-old tongue stumbling over the complicated Japanese. His small, pudgy hands grasp for the edge of her apron, trying to get her to lift him up so he can sit on the counter and watch her cook, and he giggles with glee when she does so, but not without twirling him around once, twice, three times, turning his giggles to howls of laughter. She sets him down and resumes singing as she chops up carrots, one after the other. He can understand a few words of her song here and there, recognizes that she's singing about fairies and pixies, mermaids and pirates, children who never grow old and adventures that never grow tiring. He watches her wrinkled, delicate hands as she makes quick work of the remaining vegetables, his dark green eyes wide and alight with wonder as his imagination runs wild with the song. The soft _tap tap tap_ of the knife hitting the cutting board fills his ears as his grandmother's voice grows quieter and quieter, before going silent all together. He looks up in confusion, wondering why she's stopped, and she smiles warmly at him, still slicing, and then just like that, she's gone and he's awake, the faint sounds of chopping ringing in his ears. He opens his eyes slowly, taking in his dark bedroom, much less decorated than the rooms of other seven-year-olds that he knows. It's not until he's fully awake that he realizes the tapping from his dream hasn't yet stopped, causing him to freeze and hold his breath to hear it better.

_tap tap tap_

He turns over slowly, recognizing the sound as someone's fingernail on glass, and faces the window, where a figure is waiting, only its bright golden eyes visible due to the back-lighting from the moon behind it. He grows still, heart beating faster in his chest as he takes this in, not sure if he's still dreaming. He quickly shuts his eyes, willing himself to wake up, counts to ten, and opens them again, but the figure is still there, perched on his windowsill like it's nothing. His curiosity starts to get the better of him, and he slowly sits up in bed, never taking his eyes off of the strange visitor who has yet to take his eyes off him, either. He stands, short legs wobbly from sleep, and takes two hesitant steps forward, three, four, five steps, up until he's but a step from the window. He looks up, eyes adjusted enough to realize that the figure is a boy, most likely no older than seventeen. Feeling some of his prior worry fade, he takes the last step and reaches up to slide his window open a crack.

"Hello," he offers, his small voice quiet and scratchy from disuse. To his surprise, the figure smiles wide, gleaming teeth barely visible in the limited light.

"Hi!" The boy's voice is loud, louder than he expected, taking him off guard and making him jump in surprise, but the boy seems not to have noticed, as he continues. "My name's Bokuto Koutarou, and I have a big favor to ask of you." The boy, Bokuto Koutarou, seems nice enough, so the seven-year-old nods in acknowledgement.

"Hello, Bokuto-san, my name is Akaashi Keiji. What favor do you need?" Akaashi leans closer, his curiosity kicking in further. Bokuto beams at him, happy that he seems to be compliant.

"Well, Akaashi, you see, my shadow has gotten away from me again, and he seems to have decided to take residence here with you. Can you help me catch him?" Akaashi stares up at Bokuto, trying to wrap his head around what he's heard. His shadow... got away?

"Bokuto-san, that's impossible; your shadow can't just leave." Bokuto laughs at the young boy's incredulous tone before pointing across the room.

"But look, Akaashi, there he is, over there." Akaashi slowly follows where Bokuto is pointing, and freezes when he spots a shadow on his moonlit wall, fitting the profile of the boy on his windowsill, but in a completely different pose. He blinks once, twice, trying to understand what he's seeing, before Bokuto breaks him out of his stupor.

"Would you please let me in so I can catch him? He's been running away from me all night, but I'm sure I can catch him now!" Akaashi looks back up at the strange boy, confused, but his curiosity gives way and he opens the window wider to let Bokuto in. Bokuto jumps down into his room and quickly jumps at the shadow, narrowly missing as it hops away, just outside his reach. Bokuto pouts and jumps at it again, missing for the second time.

"C'mon, please don't be so stubborn! Is this because I lost you last time?" Akaashi remains by the window, watching silently as Bokuto continues to chase after his shadow, which appears to be taunting him with each miss. Right as Bokuto finally manages to catch its right leg in one of his hands, Akaashi's door opens slowly, revealing Kamiko, his older sister, who's rubbing her tired eyes and yawning.

"Kei-chan, what're you doing?" She asks, her voice soft and tinkling. Akaashi looks up at his sister, at a complete loss for words, and looks at Bokuto, who has frozen with his hand still clenched around his shadow's leg. Kamiko slowly realizes he's not alone and her eyes widen as a soft gasp escapes her lips. Before she can do anything else, like possibly run to get their parents, Akaashi speaks.

"Nee-chan, it's okay, Bokuto was just catching his shadow." Kamiko pauses, her eyes locking on Akaashi, brows now scrunched together in confusion.

"What...?" Her voice is still quiet and her eyes travel back to Bokuto, who's defrosted and is working on trying to figure out how to reattach his runaway shadow. Akaashi shrugs and steps closer to grab her hand and pull her farther inside his room, making sure to close the door behind her so as to avoid waking their parents.

"Nee-chan, this is Bokuto Koutarou, and his shadow." Bokuto looks up at the sound of his name and glances over that them before smiling wide.

"Hi! You wouldn't happen to have any nails, would you?" His question only brings more confusion to Kamiko's features as her eleven-year-old mind struggles to wrap around the situation at hand.

"Ah... Nails?" She asks, not quite understanding his request.

"Yeah! You know, so I can't nail my shadow back onto my feet? Or, you know, maybe a needle and some thread? Anything that'll get him to stay for good would be nice." His smile is bright and charming, and Akaashi finds himself growing more comfortable in his presence. Slowly, Kamiko nods and plays with her long nightgown.

"I have a sewing kit in my room... I'll be right back." She hurries away, making sure to go quietly, and it's back to just the two boys again. Akaashi is about to speak, ask where the older boy came from, when he's suddenly interrupted by a small bright light flying into his room through the window, stopping right by Bokuto's head. The older boy's face lights up and he smiles wide at the flying thing.

"Yukie, there you are! I was wondering where you went!" Akaashi knits his brows in confusion, wondering what a "Yukie" is and why it's in his room. Before he can ask, a soft murmuring comes from the glowing object, and Bokuto's eyes find Akaashi's for a moment before he looks back at it.

"Oh, that's Akaashi! He helped me catch my shadow!" Akaashi feels his small, round cheeks heat up a bit at the boy's enthusiasm; he didn't _really_ help with anything... The flying thing suddenly flies toward Akaashi, causing him to stumble back in surprise. Once it's closer, he realizes the thing is actually a really small girl, dressed similarly to Bokuto, in shades of green, clothes appearing to be handmade. She has wings growing out of her back, similar to those of a butterfly, except more translucent, and she seems to be glowing all by herself, shedding a warm light across Akaashi's room.

The door opens and Kamiko re-enters, holding her small sewing kit in one hand. She looks over at Akaashi curiously, obviously wondering about the light floating in front of him, but turns to Bokuto before asking about it.

"I brought my sewing kit; I can sew your shadow back on for you, if you'd like." Her voice is still soft, barely loud enough for Akaashi to register, but the small pixie before him, Yukie, he assumes, turns to look at her, a brow raised in suspicion. She flies back over to Bokuto as the older boy smiles happily, accepting Kamiko's help. Akaashi stays back and watches silently as Kamiko stitches the shadow into Bokuto's shoes, careful not to catch his skin on accident, with Yukie hovering almost protectively over Bokuto's shoulder. She finishes and blushes softly at Bokuto's enthusiastic words of praise, which Akaashi, for some reason, wishes were directed at him instead.

Akaashi assumes that Bokuto will leave now that he has his shadow back, but instead of doing so, he surprises them both with an offer to make them fly, that way they can visit his home, called Neverland. Akaashi plays with his small fingers and looks up at Kamiko, ever the voice of reason, and is surprised when she agrees, almost looking excited. Both are sprinkled with pixie dust by a reluctant Yukie, and before they know it, they're flying around the room, trying to keep their giggles quiet. Bokuto soon leads them outside through the window, flying ahead of them as they go over Tokyo, taking in the breathtaking view of their home from such a new perspective. After seeing all they can, Bokuto has them start to fly up, toward a certain star in the sky, and before they know it, they're all in a strange new land, flying above an island surrounded by a beautiful blue ocean. They dive down after Bokuto, following as he takes them around the island, pointing out the beautiful mermaids who all greet them with smiles and melodic hellos, the gorgeous beaches full of seashells and sea glass that catch their eye, the green forest that spreads throughout the rest of the island, and the small seaside village where locals go about their daily lives.

They finally settle in the thick of the forest, their pixie dust just about out of power, and follow Bokuto to a large tree, where they're greeted by a group of young boys closer to Kamiko's age, with only a couple a little older. His previous hesitation gives way to complete wonder as he recalls his grandmother's song for the first time; he's gone all his life thinking it was just a fairy tale, yet here he is, experiencing it himself.

He and Kamiko spend what feels like hours upon hours playing games with the boys, Bokuto and an initially reluctant Yukie included, and Akaashi finds himself wishing he could stay forever. The boys are all very kind to him and his sister, and they go on many adventures through the woods, swinging around wooden swords and unleashing battle cries. Even Kamiko is participating, her dark eyes alight with excitement as they climb, run, jump around, pretending to fight off scowling pirates. His hopes of staying are dashed however, when Kamiko eventually claims they need to get home before their parents begin to worry, and after some heavy persuading, Akaashi agrees, allowing her to ask Bokuto to take them back home. The older boy seems to deflate at their request, saddened at the prospect of them leaving, but with a promise from both to return one day for another play date, he sprinkles them with pixie dust yet again and takes them home.

 

* * *

 

After the initial visit, Bokuto doesn't return until Akaashi is ten, a little taller and a little less pudgy, a little smarter and a little more reserved. Kamiko, now fourteen, regards Bokuto with a little more maturity, though it is mixed with a bit more shyness; Bokuto hasn't aged a day since their first encounter, and Kamiko has entered that stage of her adolescence where boys no longer seem as gross. In this second visit, she tries to appeal more to the older boy, clinging to his side as opposed to running around with Akaashi and the lost boys, as she did the first time, leaving Akaashi feeling rather left out. He feels a bit envious of the attention she’s getting from Bokuto, and finds himself wishing yet again that he was the one to receive his attention instead. Despite having fun with the lost boys, especially Konoha and Komi, he does not enjoy this second trip as much as he did the first. However, when Bokuto takes them home that night and easily evades a kiss from Kamiko, Akaashi can't help but feel a little smug as he watches his sister stalk to her room, disappointment weighing down her slim shoulders.

The third visit comes only two years later, and Kamiko is out at a friend's house, leaving just Akasshi to take his long-awaited trip to Neverland, reveling in the fact that he has Bokuto all to himself this time. (At the time, he thinks nothing of it; he's only twelve, and chalks it up to his dissatisfaction with being pushed to the back burner last time.) He enjoys this trip a lot more, learns more about Bokuto along the way, like his favorite color (yellow), his favorite animal (owl), and his favorite game (he isn’t sure, but it sounds a lot like volleyball, even if Bokuto calls it something different). He even finds a good, although sarcastic, friend in Yukie, who claims to like him a lot more than his "clingy sister", a fact that he can’t help but feel satisfaction about. He goes back home that night feeling similar to how he did the first time he visited Neverland: unwilling to go, but knowing he needs to.

Bokuto ends up visiting quite a few times that year, and each time, Akaashi finds himself "forgetting" to wake Kamiko when they take off toward Neverland. The fourth and fifth visit from Bokuto, he really does forget; he’s so excited to see the wild-haired boy that he jumps out of bed immediately, throws on his jacket, and opens the window wide, already asking what games they’re going to play and what adventures they’re going to go on. Bokuto doesn’t seem to mind, though; he doesn’t ask about Kamiko as Yukie sprinkles Akaashi with pixie dust, doesn’t ask as they arrive at the treehouse where the lost boys are waiting excitedly, doesn’t ask as he takes Akaashi back home, and Akaashi takes it as a sign that she’s honestly not needed. She has her own life now, an independent sixteen-year-old focused on school, friends, and boys; she doesn’t need the escape from their home life like Akaashi does, since she’s already so perfect, so Akaashi takes a moment of selfishness and claims Neverland (and Bokuto) as his own.

Years pass between Bokuto's last visit of Akaashi's twelfth year, and with each one, Akaashi's longing for Bokuto grows. At first, he assumes it's simply because he misses his friend, misses Neverland, but at fifteen, he finds himself waking up covered in sweat from a rather risqué dream featuring his favorite person, and it dawns on him that what he's feeling is definitely a lot more than just friendly fondness.

The eighth visit comes a year after Kamiko has gone off to college, and Akaashi is now sixteen. He's much taller, slimmed down but toned, more serious and much quieter. He’s entered his second year of high school with few friends and many expectations from his parents, leaving him with the desire to escape even more, if only for a little while, and the opportunity is brought to him the night before his first violin recital of the school year.

Akaashi finds himself wide awake well past midnight, staring up at the ceiling of his room as he goes over the music he's playing tomorrow, his fingers tapping his chest as he plays out the songs one by one, imagining his violin in his hands. The familiar _tap tap tap_ at his window draws him out of his head and he looks over, a small smile curling his lips as he spots those big, bright, golden eyes. He jumps out of bed and runs to open the window, music notes and scales long forgotten as he drinks in the sight of his friend, whom he hasn't seen in four years now.

"Hello, Bokuto-san. Would you like to come in?" Akaashi's voice is much deeper, smooth and mellowed out now that he has hit puberty. He steps back to allow Bokuto inside, and the older boy's eyes are alight with wonder as he takes in Akaashi's new appearance (well, it's new to him, anyway).

"Akaashi, you're so tall!" Bokuto exclaims, smiling wide. "And so... so pretty! I mean, look at you!" Akaashi's cheeks heat up at being called pretty; he's been called it before, though in most cases it’s a taunt, being called "pretty boy" for his thick eyelashes, high cheek bones, mostly-unblemished skin, and slightly feminine features. When it comes from Bokuto, however, he doesn't really mind it.

"Thank you, Bokuto-san. I suppose it's been a while since we last saw each other, hasn't it? Four years, I think?" His statement catches Bokuto off guard, and his jaw drops in surprise.

"Four years?! I've been gone that long?!" He pouts and rubs the back of his neck, seemingly upset. "No wonder you look so much older… I always forget that you guys age down here." His voice is quieter, almost disappointed. Akaashi tilts his head quietly, letting his eyes skim over the older boy. He obviously hasn't aged; he still looks to be seventeen, now only a year older than Akaashi, dressed in the same clothes he always wears when he visits. However, with the light of the full moon streaming in and with a new hormone-driven outlook on life, Akaashi starts to notice things about Bokuto that time away from the boy has caused him to mostly forget, like how attractive he really is, all tan skin and taut muscles resting beneath his thin clothes. Akaashi had known for a little while that he possibly harbors more romantically inclined feelings toward Bokuto, but this definitely clinched it. His eyes flit from his legs up to his chest, across to both arms, and finally back up to his face, and he realizes that this whole time, Bokuto has been talking.

"-mean, you do look good, it's not that I don't think you do, but it's just so different, you know? Definitely different." Bokuto stops talking when he sees Akaashi smile softly, and he smiles back easily.

"Bokuto-san, I'm glad you're here. I missed you." The words flow from his mouth easily, and Akaashi realizes it's true; he dreams about Neverland often, but always, always, _always_ dreams about Bokuto. At his words, Bokuto's face lights up and he smiles wider, a faint dusting of pink illuminated by the moon visible on his cheeks.

"I missed you too, Akaashi. But, um, I gotta be honest with you, I can't really take you to Neverland this time... You see, Yukie couldn't come with me, which means no pixie dust, which means I can't help you fly..." Disappoint weighs heavily in Akaashi's chest, but he forces a small smile anyway.

"That's okay, Bokuto-san, I'm happy as long as you're here with me." This is true, of course, but Akaashi would be lying if he said that he wasn't sad about not being able to get away for a night. Bokuto's warm expression, however, is enough to convince Akaashi that he said the right thing, and is enough to get the butterflies in his stomach going.

"Well, then, we could just hang out here? I don't usually stay here in this world for very long, but I don't mind." Bokuto smiles happily and leans against Akaashi's desk, folding his arms across his chest. Akaashi's eyes flicker down to the taut muscles in his forearms for a second before flitting back up to the older boy's face, and he smiles back.

"My parents are out for the night, out of town for a business meeting. You're more than welcome to stay." Akaashi has never in his life felt more grateful for his parents, who were out of the house a lot nowadays, leaving him by himself more often than not.

The two boys soon find themselves sitting on Akaashi's roof, staring up at the stars and chatting about what has happened in their lives. Bokuto goes on about defeating Captain Hook again and again, because "the poor old man just doesn't know when to give up!" and Akaashi listens intently, hanging off every word. He misses the adventures found in Neverland, wishes he could go back... But at the same time, he now feels as though he would miss life on Earth too much if he went for too long, something he had wanted to do since the first time he went. Despite not having many friends, he was enjoying his life so far. He just wishes Bokuto was a bigger part of it, rather than just a figure in his dreams that visited once every few years.

Eventually, their conversation turns to silence as the two stare up at the stars, only the ambient sound of the city and their soft breathing filling in the lack of their voices. Akaashi finds his gaze slowly sliding from the stars to the boy next to him, taking in his strong jaw, softly pursed lips, and relaxed eyebrows, his golden eyes still trained on the stars. He's so caught up in watching Bokuto that it catches him off guard when the older boy begins to speak, his voice softer than Akaashi's ever heard it.

"Sometimes, I wish you could just stay with me up there, you know? We always have so much fun, don't we? At least, I do... All the guys, they're great, really, but talking to you tonight has made me realize that you're something completely different. I realized, after seeing you all grown up and stuff, that I was kinda upset that I missed that process, that I couldn't grow up with you, I guess. I mean, I like not aging, because with getting older comes more responsibility and stuff, but it gets a little tiring... You know?" Akaashi listens quietly, takes it all in and processes it, before speaking.

“You’re always welcome to visit, Bokuto-san. You can come whenever you’d like, if you want to; I certainly wouldn’t mind.” Akaashi smiles softly, leaning his head on his knees, wishing he could just build up the courage to ask Bokuto to stay, but he knows that this world isn’t home for him; Neverland is his home. He could never ask Bokuto to leave behind his life and friends just for him.

Bokuto lets his eyes drift down to meet Akaashi’s, and he smiles warmly before resting his head on his knees as well, shadowing Akaashi’s position.

“I’m gonna visit you all the time, Akaashi, I promise. I’ll try to remember to come more often, that way I don’t leave you alone for too long to grow old without me.” Akaashi chuckles softly, but nods at his friend. Finally building up some courage, Akaashi leans over to lightly kiss Bokuto’s cheek, his lips barely ghosting the boy’s skin. Bokuto’s ears grow red at the contact, but unlike how he evade Kamiko all those years ago, he leans closer as Akaashi pulls away, almost like he’s trying to chase his kiss. Akaashi feels a small sense of accomplishment at the older boy’s action, reveling in the fact that Bokuto may have actually _wanted_ Akaashi to kiss him. They speak for a little longer before Bokuto has to fly back home, and Akaashi watches him go, not going back inside until the boy’s silhouette is completely gone from his sight. He falls back into bed and smiles as his eyes close. That night, he dreams of nothing but Bokuto, beautiful and glowing in the pale moonlight.

True to his word, Bokuto does manage to visit more often, with only months between instead of years, similar to his visits when Akaashi was twelve. However, these visits are rarely to take Akaashi to Neverland; instead, they usually find themselves back on Akaashi’s roof, talking under the stars. He only visits Neverland once more, only to find that the lost boys are no longer residing in the treehouse, but in the town by the sea instead, all grown up and about the same age as Kamiko. He realizes with a tinge of sadness that Bokuto is almost completely alone now, with only the company of Yukie, who has taken to visiting her old pixie friends more and more. Akaashi realizes why Bokuto had looked so sad when he saw how much Akaashi had grown; all around him, friends are getting older, yet he remains the same.

During their time spent at Akaashi’s, the space between them is slowly diminishing with every brush of their fingers, or soft kisses on the cheek, until one night, when Akaashi is leaning over to give Bokuto his usual kiss before he leaves, Bokuto turns his head so that their lips meet instead. Akaashi freezes, caught off guard by the sudden contact, but smiles when Bokuto doesn’t move away from him. He raises one hand to cup the boy’s cheek and gently rubs his thumb over Bokuto’s cheekbone before pulling away to look at this beautiful boy, suddenly hit with a bout of confidence.

"You could always stay down here with me, Bokuto-san. My parents are never home anyway, and I'm almost done with high school... If you want to, of course." Despite how softly he speaks, Akaashi can't help but feel like his voice too loud, the weight of his words too heavy. Bokuto's eyes slowly open, having shut during their kiss, and his mouth is slightly open in a soft "o" shape. He blinks once, twice, three times before finally speaking, his voice minuscule.

"You'd want me to stay with you?" His voice is timid, and Akaashi's butterflies are back as he swallows quietly and nods his head. Bokuto looks back up at the stars, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth as he thinks it over. Akaashi waits patiently, despite the growing fear in his stomach, stimulated by the very real possibility that Bokuto will turn him down. However, all of his fears are washed away as a simple "okay" leaves Bokuto's lips, and Akaashi is suddenly finding it hard to breathe. Bokuto, his Bokuto, was finally going to be a constant in his life. He'd be able to grow up with him, maybe even grow old with him... Bokuto looks over at Akaashi and smiles softly, his eyes almost like liquid gold.

"I just have to go say goodbye, you know? So, I'll go tonight, and hopefully be back soon, okay? Don't grow too much without me." His chuckle is light, airy, but tinted with a soft hint of worry, as if he's scared he won't be back as soon as he hopes he will be. Akaashi reaches out to gently take Bokuto's hand in his and squeezes lightly before leaning in to lightly peck his cheek.

"I'll be waiting, Bokuto-san." He allows his breath to breeze over Bokuto's ear, causing the older boy to shiver gently. Bokuto looks over and beams brightly, causing Akaashi's heart to stutter in his chest. Bokuto leans forward to brush his lips across Akaashi's before he stands up and takes off, flying toward Neverland. Akaashi smiles softly to himself and goes back inside, and falls asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

Bokuto doesn't come back until almost half of Akaashi's second year is over, but it's still sooner than Akaashi was expecting, if he's being honest. He wakes up on a chilly October night to the sound tapping on his window, and jumps up before he's woken up all the way to open it quickly, allowing Bokuto to enter. Akaashi's smile is brilliant as his arms wrap around an equally excited Bokuto, and the two stand in each other's embrace for what feels like hours, days, years, but is only a few minutes. When they separate, Akaashi moves his hands to cup Bokuto's cheeks and stare into the older boy's golden eyes.

"Are you sure about this, Bokuto-san?" He asks softly, searching Bokuto's eyes for any sort of doubt. Bokuto beams happily in return and plants a kiss on Akaashi's forehead.

"I'm positive, Akaashi. With you is where I'm meant to be, I can feel it." Akaashi's worry melts away easily, replaced with fondness as he takes in the timeless boy before him, and he leans in to lightly press his lips to Bokuto's. He can feel it, too; this is where he's meant to be.

 

* * *

 

Years later, Akaashi finds himself in his kitchen, singing about pixies and fairies, mermaids and pirates, children that never grow old and adventures that never grow tiring, as he chops up vegetables for dinner. As a soft, tinkling voice struggles to join in, he smiles and pauses in his chopping to lean down, scooping up his young son, twirling him around in order to hear his bright giggles, tinkling like small bells, his bright blue eyes shining in delight. He smiles, setting his son down on the counter so he can watch him prepare dinner, and resumes singing his grandmother’s song.

“Papa? What’s Neverland like?” Akaashi looks over at the sound of his boy’s quiet voice, and smiles warmly.

“That’d be a better question to ask your daddy when he gets back home, Kou… But I suppose I can tell you a little about it.” Akaashi continues chopping the vegetables as he tells Kou about all of his adventures with Bokuto and Aunt Kamiko, glancing over every so often to catch the glimmer of wonder in the boy’s eyes. He continues talking until the front door opens, followed by the sound of Bokuto’s happy voice.

“See, I told you papa would have dinner going by the time we got home, Mizuki! No need to fret.” Akaashi smiles and turns away from the cutting board just as Bokuto and their daughter, Mizuki, round the corner into the kitchen. Bokuto beams as his eyes catch Akaashi’s, and he walks over to give him a quick, chaste kiss on the lips before he scoops up Kou to twirl him around, eliciting giggles from the small four-year-old’s mouth. Mizuki walks over to hug Akaashi tight, and Akaashi leans down to wrap his six-year-old up tight in his arms, planting a kiss on her head.

The four of them talk about their day as Akaashi continues to prepare dinner, Bokuto jumping in to help out once he puts Kou back down on the counter. After the food is cooked, plated, and eaten, the four sit back to watch a movie, one about fairies, princesses, princes, and dragons, and all too soon, it’s time for bed. Akaashi and Bokuto help their children bathe, get dressed, and brush their teeth, and then they tuck them in. Akaashi opens the curtains for the large window in their children’s shared room as Kou asks Bokuto to get his owl plush from where he left it in the kitchen. After he comes back and hands the toy to his son, both children let out soft yawns before Mizuki makes grabby hands at Bokuto, asking him to lay with her.

“Daddy, will you tell us the story again about how you met Papa?” Her soft voice earns the attention of Kou, who’s now snuggling up to Akaashi’s side. The boy nods quickly in agreement and looks up at his fathers expectantly. Bokuto chuckles softly and smoothes down Mizuki’s hair as he settles in before speaking.

“Well, it all started years ago, back when papa was only seven-years-old, and my silly shadow had decided to run away…” Akaashi smiles as he listens to Bokuto talk about their first meeting, feeling his heart flutter as Bokuto recounts their first trip to Neverland together. He allows his eyes to wander toward the window, and catches himself thinking about the land where children never grow old and adventures never grow tiring. He thinks about how those words can easily sum up Bokuto, as well; his magical boy, who makes him feel eternally young, and whose love makes everything feel like an adventure that Akaashi never wants to end. He remembers a time when he never wanted to leave Neverland, but now, he realizes, that it wasn’t Neverland that captured his heart, but the man laying across the room from him, telling their children about the memories that Akaashi would always hold dear for the rest of his life.

He looks back at the love his life and their eyes meet, causing Bokuto to break into a wide smile, full of warmth and love, and Akaashi finds himself smiling back. Subtle movement behind Bokuto catches his eye, and he looks up to see Bokuto’s shadow, who looks like he’s blowing Akaashi a kiss. He smiles wider before snuggling closer to Kou, feeling like his heart is full to the brim with love and joy, and goes back to listening to Bokuto’s story intently.

After the children fall asleep, Bokuto and Akaashi find themselves sitting on their roof, staring up at the stars above them in silence. Bokuto’s arm is wrapped loosely around Akaashi’s waist, and Akaashi’s head is on Bokuto’s shoulder. After a few moments, Akaashi speaks.

“Do you ever miss it?” His voice is soft, but loud enough to be heard over the ambient noises of the city around them. Without looking away from the stars, Bokuto smiles softly and answers.

“Sometimes… but I realized that never growing up is no fun when you’re by yourself. Besides, I’d rather grow old with you than stay young by myself forever.” Akaashi smiles at his words and snuggles closer.

“Who knows, maybe one day we can take Kou and Mizuki there, let them visit with the pixies and the mermaids,” Akaashi says, and Bokuto looks over at him.

“Maybe one day.” He smiles and kisses Akaashi’s forehead before looking back up at the night sky. Both find their eyes resting on a familiar star, beyond which lies Neverland, full of adventures yet to be had, and magic yet to be discovered, and Akaashi finds yet again that he no longer longs for it; he has all the magic he needs in the man by his side, and that’s more than enough for him.

**Author's Note:**

> You're welcome to come find me on [tumblr](http://chrisssenpai.tumblr.com) if you wanna talk about volleyball dorks!! I promise I'm nice, just a little dumb and a lot excited!


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